UC Davis vs U of K

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Davis, California, and Lexington, Kentucky, home to the esteemed University of California-Davis (UC Davis) and the University of Kentucky (UK), respectively. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique characteristics. UC Davis boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating its highly selective admissions process, while UK welcomes a more diverse student body, fostering an inclusive and welcoming campus culture. Explore the nuances of each institution, from their popular majors and graduation rates to the demographics of their student populations, in the comprehensive comparison table provided. Discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, embarking on a journey toward your educational and professional goals.
University of California-Davis logo

University of California-Davis

University of Kentucky logo

University of Kentucky

Overview

Location Davis, California Lexington, Kentucky
Campus setting Suburb: Small City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 86.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 48.8% 94.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $120
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $65
SAT range N/A 1083 - 1330
ACT range N/A 22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score 10.0%
Students submitting ACT score 70.0%
Total number of applicants 87,120 21,695
Total number of admissions given out 42,475 20,396
Admitted students who chose to enroll 7,482 4,721
Yield rate 17.6% 23.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $32,584

Out of state: $62,338
In state: $31,690

Out of state: $50,688
Average net price $16,640 $20,043
Tuition
In state: $11,442

Out of state: $41,196
In state: $11,247

Out of state: $30,245
Room & board $17,018
Room/dormitory: $9,650

Meal plan: $4,536
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

59.0%
Average amount $17,628
92.0%
Average amount $11,623
Students receiving federal student loan 23.0%
Average amount $4,043
41.0%
Average amount $5,177
Students taking out private loans 11.0%
Average amount $3,360
9.0%
Average amount $19,204

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 31,657
Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
21,900
Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students 8,393
Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
8,490
Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 7.5% N/A
International students 17.0% 4.0%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Small City: Large
Dormitory capacity 11,142 7,294
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Illinois Texas Hawaii Ohio Illinois Georgia Tennessee

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Business
  • Agriculture
  • Engineering
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 21:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.9% 68.2%
Dropout rate 11.8% 30.6%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $121,903
  • Year 2: $135,393
  • Year 3: $137,917
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $127,500
  • Year 2: $125,015
  • Year 3: $135,009
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,299
  • Year 2: $116,258
  • Year 3: $127,335
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,488
  • Year 2: $81,609
  • Year 3: $103,694
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,669
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $100,961
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $112,976
  • Year 2: $98,186
  • Year 3: $99,585
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $81,487
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $98,364
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $87,604
  • Year 3: $94,032
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,487
  • Year 2: $70,370
  • Year 3: $89,594
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,514
  • Year 2: $74,262
  • Year 3: $87,586
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,223
  • Year 2: $114,892
  • Year 3: $134,605
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $81,971
  • Year 2: $114,730
  • Year 3: $122,422
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $101,348
  • Year 2: $116,083
  • Year 3: $111,861
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,330
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $102,019
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,048
  • Year 2: $93,555
  • Year 3: $98,399
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $83,128
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,062
  • Year 2: $62,260
  • Year 3: $78,282
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,632
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $76,500
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,089
  • Year 2: $70,512
  • Year 3: $74,487
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,465
  • Year 2: $68,666
  • Year 3: $72,801

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado State University-Fort Collins
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Florida State University Florida State University
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Kentucky University of Kentucky
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri-Columbia
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Nevada-Reno University of Nevada-Reno
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of New Mexico-Main Campus University of New Mexico-Main Campus
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Oregon State University Oregon State University
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Texas A & M University-College Station Texas A & M University-College Station
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of California-Davis UC Davis vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Kentucky U of K vs The University of Alabama The University of Alabama
University of Kentucky U of K vs Auburn University Auburn University
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Arkansas University of Arkansas
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of Kentucky U of K vs Samuel Merritt University Samuel Merritt University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Florida State University Florida State University
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Illinois Chicago University of Illinois Chicago
University of Kentucky U of K vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
University of Kentucky U of K vs Harvard University Harvard University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Kentucky U of K vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
University of Kentucky U of K vs North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota State University-Main Campus
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Cincinnati-Main Campus University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
University of Kentucky U of K vs Brown University Brown University
University of Kentucky U of K vs The University of Tennessee-Knoxville The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
University of Kentucky U of K vs Texas Tech University Texas Tech University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Kentucky U of K vs University of Washington-Seattle Campus University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Kentucky U of K vs West Virginia University West Virginia University
University of Kentucky U of K vs Stanford University Stanford University
University of Kentucky U of K vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University